SEO Writers Philippines

What is a Blog NOW?

2007-10-28T19:39:00.000+08:00

A blog or web log used to be defined as a mere online diary where opinions about every little matter in one's life is announced to the whole world.

But that's eons ago.

A blog is no longer just an online nook where a teener rants and raves about his or her lovelife or lack thereof.

So what is a blog now?

A blog is now a marketing tool which entrepreneurs either with online businesses or brick-and-mortar ventures use to earn directly or indirectly from.

How can you earn from blogging?

- you can market your services through a blog without hard-selling
- you can keep your customers yearning for more or loyal to your products or services through a blog
- you can earn from ads if you have a niche blog
- you can find a job through your blog

More details about each of these ways of earning from blogging next..

Article Marketing Tips

2007-09-08T15:20:00.000+08:00

Article marketing is one of the hottest Internet marketing techniques that rocks the world of webmasters. Although it sounds as easy as writing an article and distributing it to the innumerable article directories, there are particular tactics that one should use to ensure the impact of this marketing method.

Sure, the no-follow greediness has spreaded like a deadly virus. It is the use of this code that makes links non-sense in the eyes of search engine spiders, thus, bearing no SEO points. However, there are other benefits that article marketing conveys. And these benefits can only be maximized if you play your cards well.

Here are some suggestions on how you can get the most out of your article marketing campaign:

Nice Niche
Writing articles for niche topics is one way to increase the pick-up-ability of your articles. This improves the chances of getting publishers to be interested on your content.

Article Directories that Perform
You also have to choose the best article directories to avoid having to submit your content to non-performing directories. This saves you time and effort.

Tease 'Em
Tease your potential readers through the use of your resource box or that part of your article where you place your signature or where else to get more info about you, the article you wrote and distributed, and your services or products.

Article on Blogs
Article marketing has also evolved into a more dynamic way of benefiting from other publishers, particularly bloggers.

Writing SEO Articles about Technical Topics

2007-08-24T01:58:00.000+08:00

If you consider yourself an all-around SEO article writer but you're suddenly faced with mental block because all projects that are being thrown your way are about mechanical objects that you've never used, how do you force yourself to push the pen? Perhaps professional writers who are now having more lucrative businesses from clients say that you simply say no.

But if you just won't take no for an answer, you can still work your way up there - where no technical topic is too technical for you.

Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Gather as many references as you can. Internet articles such as those from Science journals, Wikipedia and Associated Press can be great sources of references. If you still can't find enough information to churn out a decent article about a technical topic, go to the nearest library! Encyclopedias can help. Arming yourself with easy-to-grab (not easy-to-coy, mind you) information from encyclopedia CD's is an ingenius way of dealing with these topics, too.

2. Ask your geeky friends. If you know someone who may know more about the topic than you do, record an interview with him or her. Ask all the questions that you'd like your article to answer. However, don't just rely on your interview. It's still important that you use other sources for fact-checking and beefing up your article.

3. Look for online forums that cater to those people who are interested about your so-technical topic. Introduce yourself politely and ask post your questions to the right threads.

Having Difficulty Gaining Access to Your Gmail Account?

2006-10-29T11:06:00.000+08:00

I've noticed that one of the reasons why SEO writers don't get to meet their deadlines these past few months is that they are having a hard time opening their Gmail accounts. My own solution is to reboot the PC. But, I got this tip from Joe Chengery's newsletter that might also help:

a. Close the browser window you're in, open up a new one, andtype in http://gmail.google.com

b. Where you see the login box, you'll see a link that says "I cannot access my account." Click on that link.

c. Follow the directions on that page; that should help youaccess your GMail account if you're using dial-up.

"I have done that and been successful, but then I have trouble logging in again if I leave my inbox, so I have to do it again.If you experience similar problems, you might want to consider switching to the "Basic HTML" mode, down at the bottom of the screen when you are in your GMail inbox.

I prefer the Standard View myself, but unless I access my inbox early in the day and leave that window open, I usually have trouble logging back in, resulting in a "Loading" message page that doesn't load. But, if worse comes to shove, the "BasicHTML" mode is better than not having access to your GMail account at all.

If the steps on that page don't help you gain access to your GMail inbox, you will be able to contact the GMail Help Team so that they can assist you."

When You Get Tempted to OverStuff Articles with Nonsensical Words

2006-08-11T13:30:00.000+08:00

When writer's block or burnout strikes, many of us SEO writers tend to make our articles read like Renaissance-time novels. The passive form gets abused and high-sounding words become the norm. To abate this, please read this great resource:

How to Write in Plain English

One Great Blog to Help SEO Writers Improve

2006-07-31T19:30:00.000+08:00

I'm a sucker for how-to writeups thus my job as an outsourcer of SEO articles (which are mostly tips on everything under the sun).

I've been reading http://copyblogger.com for the real deals of writing for online readers. I've thought of sharing it here because I've started witnessing the deterioration of the headline-writing skills of the other SEO writers. Too many assignments can really dull one's writing prowess at times.

So, here, please do read Brian's http://www.copyblogger.com/10-sure-fire-headline-formulas-that-work/ to get yourself kicking again in writing headlines.

Free Tool for Freelance Writer Newbies and Experts

2006-07-12T20:28:00.000+08:00

Found this great resource for those who are planning to advance their writing career. According writingworld.org, marketing one's writing skills is the next best thing if you want to do better on your freelancing stint. So here's a pdf file of a Freelance Writer's Marketing Plan.

Isulong SEOPH Contest for SEO Enthusiasts

2006-06-02T19:42:00.000+08:00

Are you an SEO expert? If so, it's about time that you showcase your talent!

Isulong SEOPH is the keyphrase that you need to work on if you are planning to win this Php130,000-worth SEO Contest which is open to all Pinoys and even Non-Pinoys as long as you're present during the awarding ceremony.

Isulong SEOPH is the chosen keyphrase for the contest since it mirrors the vision of the contest - to Isulong SEOPH, to advance the SEO industry in the Philippines.

Web Content Writing Tips and Reminders

2006-05-11T11:42:00.000+08:00

1. Always include useful tips (numbered or bulleted list) as much as possible.

2. Avoid lengthy paragraphs. Having 2-3 sentences in each paragraph with subheaders is better.

3. Include relevant statistical info to make the statements more valid.

4. Look for fresh info from Google News if possible.

5. Always include the given keywords in the title. The order of the keywords can be altered to observe correct grammar.

6. Follow the proper way of naming the article file. Use the exact keyphrase assigned NOT the title you created. Capitalize the folder name. Use lower caps for the keyphrase.

7. Use only space between paragraphs, meaning press the ENTER key only when you have to start a new paragraph.

8. Don't use "all caps" for the title. Capitalize only the first letter of the keywords.

9. Always include a concluding paragraph.

10. Avoid redundancies or winding statements at all cost.

11. Please always submit on time. Inform me ASAP if you can't make it.

12. Just ask for more topics if you think you can write more after submitting all your assignments.

13. Submit all your articles and all inquiries (output list, revisions, etc.) to the new email add only.

Reminders and A Good Read

2005-10-23T12:14:00.000+08:00

Here are some of the common mistakes that the recent batch of articles have been found with:

1. Too Clever Titles

Our write-ups are expected to be picked up by search engines as soon as possible. Since we are asked to stop the overly redundant sprinkling of keywords (as solved by using synonyms and rearranging the order of keywords in keyphrases), it is advisable that their titles include the keywords.

Examples:

"Tips on Wireless Networking" may sound cliche-ish but it's a lot better than "Less Wire, More Network" since we are writing for the common surfer who will be better pulled by these cliche-ish titles.

2. Rewording Mistakes

Sure, nobody wants to receive that revision request. However, did you know that you can be totally banned from writing any article if found to be a "bad reworder".

Some of those who were emailed "Sorry but this writing style is not appreciated by the clients" (or something like that) line are actually those who tried to reword one whole article (yes, some only used one source) but came up with an "eyebrow-elevating" version. In short, the rewording has made the article obviously recycled.

Avoid using synonyms that are not apt to use. Examples include:

Did you know that money can make the world "revolve"?

Internet marketing is such a "filthy rich producing" endeavor.

3. Not bothering to research.

Some still keep on relying on their opinions the way they trust their mothers. Little did they know that their incompetence surfaces because of this "blind faith".

What do I mean? An example:

"The sun is a better alternative than a tanning bed. It has no harmful ultraviolet rays... "

Get the picture?

I found this one good read from Essortment.com.

Common Grammar Mistakes

A debate rages in academe concerning the teaching of Standard English. Some contend that attempting to instill Standard (i.e. correct) English in students amounts to an act of cultural fascism, encouraging class divisions and perpetuating stereotypes. Perhaps, the most extreme form of this position is the Oakland, California, school district's abandonment of Standard English in favor of Ebonics or Black English.

The opposite side of the debate contends that Standard English is a tool for effective thought and without its mastery a student is condemned to second-class citizenship in the world of work and letters. It's probably safe to say that a majority of English teachers subscribe to this position.

Whatever the status of the debate and the response of the school, one thing is clear. Speech and writing will go on, and unfortunately, despite the pleadings of idealists, some of us will be judged by lapses from Standard English. In short, speaking and writing errors signal one's background, the success of one's education, and one's own concern for correctness just as blatantly as an arm-cast signals a broken arm.

Since this is true, what then are some of the most common spoken and written errors and what if anything can or should be done about them?

Wrong Form of Verb

This mistake serves as a glaring marker of humble social origins or failure to master elementary school training. Depending on tense (time element) verbs have different forms or principal parts. The most common forms of this mistake are: He "come" late to school, and I "set" in the back row. These two gaffes are easily mastered if one remembers that "set" means to place, while sit and its past tense sat refer to putting one's weight on the posterior. For example, I sit in a chair, and yesterday I sat in a chair. With "come" the key is remembering that the past tense of come is came. Hence, Joe comes today and Joe came(not come) yesterday.

The absolute essential principal parts to master are these. I see today; I saw yesterday (not seen). He gives today; he gave yesterday (not give).

On the other hand, lie and lay constitute another bugaboo of the same type, but failure to use these forms correctly is so widespread at every social level, that the mistake is unlikely to even be noticed. For those who care, however, "lie" is to recline and "lay" is to place something down. However, the issue is confusing because the past tense of "lie" is, also, "lay"; thus, I lie (not lay)in bed today; I lay in bed yesterday.

Subject-Verb Disagreement

In standard English verbs agree with subjects in number. This type of mistake in its simplest form is another obvious social marker. A common glaring example is "it don't." The problem here is that "it" is singular and "don't" is plural. The correct form is it doesn't or he doesn't. The trick is to make the subject and verb match in number (not tense, which is another issue altogether).

Additional examples of this type error are-- Dogs with puppies "needs" (should be plural need)lot of vitamins, and Sailors with scurvy "has" (should be plural have) sore gums.
There is, however, a second type of subject and verb disagreement that commonly occurs where the speaker is confused because a second noun intervenes between the subject and the verb. For example--the captain of the guards "don't" like ice cream. This is incorrect since the subject governing the verb is captain, not guards.

Unfortunately, this type of error is not easily corrected because one must be able to successfully identify the subject as opposed to the noun nearest the verb. Furthermore, correctness demands a kind of instant grammatical analysis that only those who are not likely to make the mistake in the first place can perform while speaking on their feet.

The Good or Well Dilemma

If there's a single usage error that can be said to be afflicting well-meaning Americans today, it's when to use "good" and when to use "well." A bad choice here can make one look incredibly naïve. The problem centers around school warnings against "good" used as an adverb. For example, schools have rightly taught that He hits the ball "good" or She bowls "good" is incorrect. Yes, but while incorrect, the preceding errors are essentially minor and unlikely to provoke scorn.

The problem occurs when one develops an inordinate fear of good and begins substituting "well" in every normal "good" slot. Then egregious errors pop up. People then say, "Have a well day" or She's a pretty "well" singer. Horrors! The cure here is just to go with "good" and take the blame for an occasional slip.

However, purists will want to get it right. In that case, remember "well" is an adverb, for instance, she knits well. "Well" here modifies the verb knits. "Good," on the other hand, is an adjective. He's a good singer. Good modifies the noun singer.

The tricky decision happens after a linking verb which will not use an adverb. Therefore, I feel "good" or he's "good" at pool are correct because "feel" and "is" are linking verbs, and linking verbs don't take adverbs.

Pronoun Hell

Pronouns like nouns have what is known as case and shift their form depending on case. In other words, within a sentence they may function as subject, direct object, object of preposition, or indirect object and vary their form depending thereon. The dilemma for the speaker is inserting the correct pronoun in terms of its function in the sentence.

Garden variety pronoun errors include--him and me went downtown, or the boss gave he and I a raise. Unfortunately correcting this type error takes a modicum of grammatical skill, for one must determine the role of the pronoun in the sentence. Thus, "he" and I went downtown is correct inasmuch as "he" is the subject of the sentence and "he" is a subject-case pronoun whereas "him" is an objective case pronoun. Ironically, and much like the school-inculcated fear of "good," "him" has developed an aura of incorrectness that then drives a speaker to say gave "he" and I a raise, when in fact "he" and I stand in an indirect-object position in the sentence and therefore demand objective case pronouns--"him" and me.

Other common pronoun errors are--talks to "hisself" (should be "himself;" "hisself" is always wrong) and taller than "her"(should be "she"). The latter of the two mistakes is so widely made that the correct form actually sounds stilted, but technically speaking taller than "she" is correct since "she" is the subject of an understood verb "is."

Who or Whom

And finally there is the dilemma of whether to say who or whom as in these situations--Who/whom was at the door? or Who/whom did you give the money to?
The good news is this. Speakers at all academic and social levels tend to either ignore or be confused by the distinction between who and whom, generally choosing "who" and letting it go at that. A result of this is that in situations where "whom" is the correct form, choosing the correct form again may again actually sound somewhat stilted. The bottom line for most social situations is go with "who" as chances are your listener won't know the difference either.

However, if one chooses to be fastidious, it works like this. Because "who" and "whom" are pronouns, they have case as determined by function in a particular sentence. Thus, getting back to the examples above. "Who" was at the door is correct because "who" is the subject of the sentence and "who" is a subject-case pronoun. On the other hand, in the second example--"whom" did you give the money to is technically correct because the pronoun "whom" is the object of the preposition to and "whom" is an objective-case pronoun. Especially sharp readers will note the second example leaves a hanging preposition which is also often considered a grammatical faux pas. So if we want the second example to be grammatically perfect we would say: "To whom did you give the money"

Client Says...

2005-10-15T17:20:00.000+08:00

"It's all good your writers have been doing a great job. I do have one request though on a couple of articles your writers have written they have referred to other sites within the articles which is kind of a problem for me it's all good with these 112 articles (I'll fix them up myself), but if you can please tell your writers to not refer to other sites when writing the articles that would be great."

whew! that's the one of the clients' comment on our partial output.

Please keep up the good work (95% of our 2nd half of Oct. topics are still for this client) and if you're guilty of that mentioning of other web sites, please avoid it this time.

How SEO Web Content Writers Should Write Articles

2005-09-24T14:54:00.000+08:00

Formatting tips

People don’t read web pages like they do printed pages.

You need to use more paragraphs and make them short. A long paragraph becomes very unreadable on a screen.

Make use of bullet points or Make use of numbered lists

Use sub-headings to sub-divide your pages.

These techniques can help make your article easy on the eye.

Keeping them interested

You must try to know or imagine what your reader is interested in and that is the thing you will offer in your headline so put more meat into the detail. Here’s an example:

Headline/Title:

How to get the best deal on binoculars

Body of the article:

When you shop for binoculars, whether online or offline, there are 3 different things you need to consider carefully or you can end up wasting your money buying the wrong type. Here’s a checklist that will help you make the right decision:

1. Are you using your binoculars at night or during the day? If you are mainly going to use them in dark conditions you need to buy them with the biggest objective lens you can afford – that’s the big one at the front – because this effects their light-gathering power. The bigger the lens, the more light gets focused onto your eye and the easier it will be to see detail even in dark conditions.

2. Are you going to be carrying your binoculars around with you a lot? If so, you need to consider

a. The weight factor.
b. The ruggedness of the design.

3. Is magnification the most important aspect of your binoculars? If so, then you may need to consider mounting them on a tripod because it is difficult to hold high-magnification binoculars steady enough to take in the detail.....

See the point? The copy addresses and develops the interest of the reader. Not all readers will be interested but those who have seen the headline and become attentive will read on.

Style points:

Use figures rather than bland statements.

Example:
"The use of specific facts on a web page can increase the time people spend reading the page by up to 73%."

Don’t write in a formal style if you can avoid it.

The relationship you have with your reader should be like a one-on-one with a friendly teacher who knows his or her stuff.

SEO Article Writing Instructions

2005-09-01T15:52:00.000+08:00

Hi Writers,

I just have to reiterate these:

1. Filenaming

a. Please use the exact keyphrase assigned (written on your Excel file) to you as the article's filename and NOT the title you created.

b.Please use hyphens (not underscores) in place of the spaces between each word.

Example, if your keyphrase is "how to stop bed wetting", your filename should be "how-to-stop-bed-wetting". "howtostopbedwetting" and "how_to_stop_bed_wetting" are incorrect.

c. Use all capital letters for the folder names.

d. Use lower case/small letter for all the letters of the keywords whether they're proper or common nouns.

2. Titles

If there's no instruction that you should use the exact keyphrase as your exact title, it means that you have to create your own title. But you still have to include the keyphrase assigned on your title.

Example, if your keyphrase is "gardening tool" and it's not stipulated that you have to use that exact keyphrase as your title, you can use "10 Tips in Purchasing Gardening Tools" as your title.

3. Wordcount

If you're asked to produce an article with a minimum of 700 words, 699 words won't do.

4. Grammar and spelling

If you're not sure on how to use a certain verb, conjunction or any figure of speech, please refrain from infusing it on your article. Although it sounds impossible, to improve your craft, proofread like you will never get paid unless you perfect your article.

5. Plagiarism

Copyscape.com is watching you! And when you receive the dreaded "urgent revision request" email, you're given 24 hours to revise and submit it unless you send me an email that you can't do it within 24 hours.

6. Versatility

Please treat all the topics like you all love writing about them. That's one of the best ways that will make you produce exceptional writeups. Read your articles out loud and you, yourself will be able to assess the quality of your work. It will definitely show if you know nothing about the topic and you still did not take time to gather references to come up with a decent article.

Winding statements also known as "fluff" such as "It's true. Internet marketing is important. You need it so much in your business. It is imperative that you embrace the significance of Internet marketing for your business to flourish.", should never be used because it shows poor writing skills.

To avoid getting tempted to write fluff, use news search engines such as news.google.com to find more up-to-date information that will make coming up with more interesting introduction stories or including study results or industry stats a lot easier for you.